Behavioral Addiction Recovery - Thrive Beyond Trauma

Behavioral Addiction Therapy in Farmington Hills

Available in-person and virtually across Michigan.

If a behavior feels compulsive - hard to stop even when you want to - it may be a behavioral addiction

That’s not a character flaw or lack of willpower; It’s a nervous-system loop that can be retrained.

Behavioral addiction develops when a behavior becomes

the nervous system’s primary way to soothe distress,

numb emotional pain, escape overwhelm,

or regulate anxiety and loneliness.

This is not a character flaw

It’s a survival strategy your body learned over time

*Behavioral addiction is a nervous-system coping strategy, not a personal failure.*

You may be dealing with a behavioral addiction if:

The behavior feels compulsive or out of control
You use it to manage emotions rather than enjoyment
You try to stop, but stress pulls you back

Relief is followed by shame, guilt, or regret
Stopping feels anxiety-provoking or destabilizing
The pattern repeats despite consequences

You don’t need a diagnosis or a perfect label to begin healing.

*If a behavior regulates your emotions and feels hard to stop, support can help.*

Behavioral addiction can look similar on the surface

But the internal driver matters.

Start with the page that best matches your lived experience:

Porn & Sex Addiction

Choose this page if sexual behavior is used to numb, escape, or regulate emotions-and the urges feel compulsive

If secrecy, shame, escalation or “I can’t stop” is part of the pattern

START HERE →

Love Addiction

Choose this page if being alone feels intolerable and reassurance becomes your lifeline

If connection disappears-you feel like you do too

START HERE →

Relationship Addiction

Choose this page if you feel stuck in a painful, "on-again/off-again" relationship or you can't seem to leave

If intensity feels stabilizing or walking away feels terrifying even when you want to

START HERE →

Other Behavioral Addictions

Choose this page if a coping behavior-food, gambling, shopping, gaming or internet use-has started running the show

If it feels compulsive, hard to stop or is followed by shame

START HERE →

*The right page is the one that describes what your body is reacting to — Not just the behavior.*

Love Addiction VS. Relationship Addiction

Many people relate to both love addiction and relationship addiction

But one is usually primary.

Love addiction centers on:

Fear of being alone
Attachment anxiety
Emotional dependence on closeness
Losing stability without connection

Relationship addiction centers on:

Trauma bonds to a specific partner
Break-up / reunion cycles
Intensity and instability as regulators
Difficulty leaving even harmful dynamics

Love Addiction and Relationship Addiction can overlap and feed each other

If you’re unsure, start with what feels most activating-we can adjust as we go

*These patterns overlap — But they require different therapeutic entry points.*

At Thrive Beyond Trauma Counseling, behavioral addiction recovery focuses on:

Nervous-system regulation

Attachment healing

Trauma-informed care

Shame reduction

Restoring internal safety and self-trust

Relapse prevention without punishment

We don’t just target the behavior.

We treat the system underneath it.

*Healing happens when the body learns a new way to feel safe.*

You don’t need to be sure yet.
You don’t need to stop everything first.
You don’t need to explain or justify why you’re here.

If a behavior has become your go-to escape, and it's starting to cost you, you're not alone

When it stops feeling manageable, the right support can help change the pattern

We offer trauma-informed, non-judgmental care for behavioral addiction and the patterns underneath it.

*You don’t have to do this alone.*

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If you are in crisis or experiencing an emergency, please call 911 or your local emergency services, or visit the nearest emergency room.

Thrive Beyond Trauma Counseling does not provide crisis or emergency services.